Doing political travel writing on Kickstarter crowdfunding budgets offers modest economic returns. But emails like these, years after the publishing of “WAR: The Afterparty,” makes the effort sweet and worthwhile. The books opens with my two week visit to Guatemala, interviewing witnesses, professors, politicos and an exiled ex-president about the 1953 CIA overthrow of democratically …
Guatemala
One of the great joys of book publishing is connecting with people around the world who are inspired, delighted, or interested in past projects. I was contacted by an editorial staffer from a Swiss publication. She saw one of the photos I took in Guatemala City for “WAR: The Afterparty.” The photo, the journey, and …
Swiss Magazine kulturtipp Uses Guatemala Photo from “WAR: The Afterparty” Project Read More »
We have two brilliant new interns who are furiously working through our backlog of interviews, transcribing, fact checking, looking up historical context. As we get up to date, we will provide deeper backgrounders, and, of course, you’ll get to meet them though their bylines and bios. This interview was transcribed by Kayley Ingalls. Kayley received …
A Rural Guatemala Schoolteacher on Arbenz, the Civil War, Ronald Reagan and Monsanto Read More »
Part Two of my conversation with Guatemalan political veteran Julio Gonzalez. Part One can be read here. And find out the latest on the Afterparty project here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wartheafterparty/war-the-afterparty “Why do you think, as a seasoned political veteran, that the United States needed to maintain the justification that the action was needed to defend the freedom …
Guatemala’s Julio Gonzalez Interview Part Two: Why the CIA Overthrew Arbenz Read More »
Julio Gonzalez Gamarra, Vice President and Deputy of the Parlamento Centroamericano, head of the monetary and finance committee, former president of the Parliament, settles into his seat at the head of the conference table. Carmen Aida, daughter of Cesar, will translate for us. “Why do you think Arbenz was overthrown?” Julio is dressed formally, in …
Was Arbenz A Communist? An interview with Guatemalan Statesman Julio Gonzalez Read More »
Week One in Guatemala. A big success on a few fronts. Extraordinary encounters with prominent and everyday witnesses to the overthrow and civil war. Getting the recording tools and publishing process down. Making the travel process more efficient. Traveling by bus across Guatemala to Livingston today, a 5-6 hour trip. I’ll be reviewing and transcribing …
I’m sure I can’t rely on serendipity and chance encounters as a way to harvest interviews and information during the Afterparty world tour, but so far it’s been a fascinating ride. A risky assumption of the project is that food and lodging and even transport costs can be kept low with a combination of web …